[dolly]

Username + ID: dolly 741113
Kalon Name: cytherea
Prompt:

on the longest day of the year, the entire village celebrates from day to next morning's dawn. it's the best way to ensure a bountiful harvest. or so says the scroll of the old gods. as the woman of pine and sprigs, it is her day as much as the old god's. where offerings of decorated pinecones, grain, and woven goods are left for her under the tallest evergreen in the heart of town.

she wakes up, late and spent from a day of activity. the sun is high with the dawn of a new season; the day which marks the breaking of dead winter into sprouting spring. her bones ache from hours of dancing. still, she leaves the humble cottage she calls home to inventory the offerings. lest they freeze in the cold.

a mat dappled in pine needle carries the offerings. a bowl of grapes, a doll with straw hair, candles that smell of apples. the offerings are rich and diverse. a sure sign of a good season to come. but her eye catches on the fluffy brown ball curled between two freshly woven robes. from the middle of it, a head pops up. then another. tiny creatures with wide eyes.

a family of squirrels. cold and curious. amongst her offerings. she laughs heartily. it's as if the nature god themself has just blessed them with a good season. a sign from them, surely. she reaches a paw towards them, allowing them to smell and study it.

"would you like a warmer home?" she offers. they do not understand her, not really. but they trust her enough not to scurry. "I will bring you to my home, blessing of the god. you will never know cold again," she vows.

[291 words]

[Nessiie]

Username + ID:
Kalon Name:
Prompt: Ress

[Lex.]

Username + ID: Lex. 959439
Kalon Name: Idris
Prompt:

Idris couldn't contain his excitement as he rushed down the stairs on Christmas morning. It was his favorite day of the year and he couldn't wait to see what surprises awaited him under the Christmas tree. It was also his very first Christmas alone, yet somehow he had a feeling it would still be amazing.

As he reached his living room, he was greeted by a beautiful sight. Underneath his tree was a pile of neatly wrapped gifts. But one gift in particular caught Idris' eye. It was a small box, wrapped in shiny red paper with a golden bow on top.

He quickly ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a shiny key inside. Confused, he searched for any clues or notes that might explain the mysterious gift. And then he saw it, a note from his parents that read, 'I wonder what this belongs to?' with a crude map drawn on the back.

Idris couldn't believe it. He recognized his cabin in the drawing, and went outside. He followed the map, circling around trees and through the bushes behind his home. He then hiked up a small stone path until he found a small shack just behind some shrubs. The door was close with a big padlock on it. Painted on the door was a big red 'x', meaning that it MUST mark the spot.

Idris was unsure of what he'd find. He was a little nervous. The window was blocked off with planks of wood, obscuring his view. He took the key and slowly unlocked the door. He used a paw to slowly open the door, and what he saw was just magical.

"SURPRISE!"
His entire family had come to visit! It was the first time he saw them since he moved, and they did their tradition of treasure maps justice. Idris got a treasure map each Christmas, with gifts varying from food, appliances, vacations and this time, a huge reunion.

[WitchHazel]

Username + ID: WitchHazel + 148605
Kalon Name: Hollyhock
Prompt:

The Elders had warned Hollyhock not to stray from the marked path.

"If you journey too deep in the forest, you may never find your way home," they would say. They told stories of kalons; kalons who disappeared - swallowed by the emerald sea. The other villagers were terrified of the Elders' tales. But Hollyhock was abuzz with excitement. "If no one has ever returned, then I will be the first," she vowed. "And I will bring all of the missing kalons back with me." So she set off into the old wood, leaving everything she had known behind.

When she was far enough away from the village, and the forest had quieted around her, she knew it was time. Paws trembling with anticipation, Hollyhock took her first step off the travelled path. The instant her paw touched the soft soil, she froze. Watching. Waiting. It was as if time itself had stopped in that moment. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, the soft chirping of birds. She saw the red markers flutter lazily in the breeze. And yet... nothing happened. She might as well have still been on the path. "Well then," she spoke to the forest around her. "I'll just have to stray further."

And stray she did.

The further from the path she walked, the larger the trees became, until they were giants in the mist. The animal sounds grew wilder; stranger. A more timid kalon might have turned back. But not Hollyhock. Using the red string to mark her way, she was confident she wouldn't get lost like the others.

She was certain she'd neared the heart of the forest when she came across it. An enormous, twisted tree. Its branches trailed to the ground like those of a willow, but its leaves were like feathery ferns. Tiny white flowers studded every branch, glowing like stars in the night sky. The blooms were of a curious shape; miniscule snake heads with fanged maws yawning open. Hollyhock swore she could even hear a hiss as she approached its gnarled form. One of her hooves caught on something. She tore her eyes away from the breathtaking majesty of the tree to glance downwards. She'd been snagged in its roots, which were grown in the strangest of patterns - crisscrossed, like a lattice pie crust.

She struggled to free her hoof from the treacherous tubers. But the more she struggled, the more the roots seemed to tighten around her stuck leg... until she realised they were slowly dragging her into the earth. By the time she stopped fighting, it was too late. Half of her body had become tangled in the network. "Well," she thought aloud, "at least I know what happened to all of those missing kalons now." She closed her eyes, bracing for the worst, but...

It didn't come.

Hollyhock cracked a lid, risking a peek at whatever new situation she'd found herself in. Almost immediately, she gasped. Hollyhock stood beside the very same tree, but this time, in a magnificent swamp. The shallow water was clearer than anything she had ever seen. Trees over three metres wide soared over her head into the twilit empyrean. No sun lit the heavens. No moon shone upon the mossy ground beneath her feet. Only tiny glimmers of light broke up the eternal dusk. They may have been stars, but Hollyhock didn't think that was quite right. Mushrooms grew taller than any kalon she had ever met, their luminescence providing a soft, pulsing radiance that gave the land an even more mystical feel. Wisps of light floated through the branches of the towering trees, beckoning her onward.

Under that tree, she had found not just an adventure - but a whole other world. But in doing so, she had left her own behind.

[FluffyBirdie]

Username + ID: FluffyBirdie 750079
Kalon Name: Ebony
Prompt:
What did this kalon find under the tree?

The sounds of city traffic roared by outside Ebony's window, a white noise that rarely quieted in her part of the world. It didn't help that her home was close to the street. Even if her bedroom was the furthest from the road, the sound was relentless, slicing through the meager walls to rumble by her ear. The view outside wasn't flattering either, unless you cared to look at greys broken up by straight lines, reflective windows, and the occasional car that wasn't monochrome. It was dull, Ebony knew that. The very definition of plain.

Its why she went often to the park, despite it being a good 30 minute walk away. The sole patch of greenery reachable both to her and to many, as it was rarely anything less than busy. At times the grass was barely visible, covered so thoroughly by picnic blankets. At times the trees had barely any leaves despite it being anything but winter, plucked by those wishing to have something natural in their home, some colour that broke up the simple, off-white palette of every interior. Flowers were rare to see - those were always the first taken.

Today was nothing different. The park was busy with life, mirroring the roads of the city. It was the middle of the day, so the park was mostly full of children with their grandparents, running about or resting under the sun. Ebony took her usual spot under a shady tree, sitting in quiet contemplation. Her hands were idly running along the bark of the tree, brushing through the grass, digging into the soil. And in her idleness, her hands dug up something, caught under one of the roots of the tree. Often it was dead grass, but this time she had in her hands something different. It was a hard lump roughly circular in shape, small, and had a little green stalk out one side with the smallest leaves she had ever seen, and a white stalk coming out the other side. It looked like a plant. Was it...a baby plant?

Ebony chuckled under her breath at the absurd thought. Of course not. Plants can die, but they do not procreate or multiply since the dawn of time - its why there is such a limited number of them, and caretakers close the park every night to ensure the last remaining life did not die to illness. Baby plants, maybe those were around when the planet was formed, but they didn't exist now. The plants in this park were billions of years old.

Perhaps it was some weird child's toy. Or if not, then she should report it, as they were told to do. Report anything out of the ordinary. But in staring at it, something in Ebony wanted to keep it. She had never been the type to take leaves or flowers, feeling it was cruel to rip away a part of a plant for her own keeping. But this little bit of greenery wasn't part of any plant. And she did crave something colourful and...and alive in her home. Was this thing alive? If it had leaves, it must be.

Mind made up, she casually returned her hand to her bag, rummaging around to find her bottle and at the same time putting the plant into a small inner pocket. She drank from the bottle too, carefully scraping some dirt into the bottle cap with her other hand as she did so. If it was a plant, it needed dirt. She didn't mind sacrificing a bottle cap for that.

Ebony stayed at the park for another few hours, as she usually did, although this time her heart was beating faster, her emotions more nervous. It definitely felt like she was trying to hide the fact that she had a plant on her now. That she was going to try and grow it indoors - when the only life inside should be people and pets. Even the idea of a plant growing was strange, because aren't all plants fully grown? No such thing as a baby plant? Why did it feel like this plant was young then, somehow new to the world when no other plant was?

Having a plant indoors might just get her arrested. But for the first time in her life, she might try breaking a rule.

[ 724 words ]

[ford]

-

[freybugg]

Username + ID: freybugg 415187
Kalon Name: Cerridwyn "Wynnie"
Prompt:

Cerridwyn found two gifts under the tree! Kota got her a plush horse that he claims looks like her, much to Cerridwyn's fond annoyance. Meanwhile, Ronan took the more useful approach and got her a bag of ribbons, all from Ronan's personal collection. Cerridwyn insisted they put them on right away, and so they spent quite a while putting her hair into the ribbons. While Ronan thought maybe she should have gotten some ribbon sets that matched, Cerridwyn seemed to love the rainbow array.

[persimmon]

Username + ID: persimmon + 394121
Kalon Name: Defne
Prompt:

Defne was spending the winter at their first and childhood home - where they formed all of their earliest memories. This season, Defne was completing their Christmas traditions a little later than unusual because a blizzard had came and kept Defne locked in the little cabin. While Defne was grateful to have a white Christmas, they were a bit forlorn that they could not venture into the forest like they normally would have on Christmas. After the blizzard stopped, Defne ended up checking every day to see if they could open the door just wide enough for them to escape and venture into the white expanse. Unfortunately, the snow kept them locked in for the rest of the year, and Defne could not leave until January. When the door could finally open wide enough, Defne smiled and said a bittersweet goodbye to the warmth of the cabin before heading into the forest.

Defne trudged slowly through the all white terrain, focusing on the smoke from their breath to distract them from the extreme cold they felt through their front paws. Thankfully, their long fur helped them retain a bit of warmth that might otherwise have been lost. As they ambled forward, Defne was very grateful that the snow had stopped because they had doubts on their location with each step they took. It was hard to discern the proper path with everything covered in white, and Defne also made some forlorn notes of some tree friends that had not lasted their year. Hopefully their destination had not succumbed to any natural disaster. While counting the leafless trees and hoping that they took the correct path, Defne at last released a sigh of relief when they saw some color on the blank canvas before them - the deep forest green of a large pine tree.

Defne beamed and attempted to run (albeit unsuccessfully) to the tree that they called their own. For them, this was The Christmas Tree and the tree that defined their life. Among a forest full of deciduous trees, Defne had planted the coniferous tree when they were a kit and the tree was a small sapling. The tree was therefore about as old as Defne and had grown up with them, but it was much taller than Defne by now. When they were looking up to discern if their tree had grown taller, Defne quickly had to turn their gaze downward to the white snow because they noticed a different color among the white land - it was a very bright red that perfectly contrasted with the green of the tree.

Defne quickly crouched down to inspect the surprising color only to realize it was a little cardinal that they found hidden under the tree. Defne gasped at the sight of the little creature that had apparently not escaped the unpredictable blizzard, and they quickly took hold of the winged creature. While holding the cardinal in their paws, Defne was relieved to see that he was still breathing but shivering from the cold. Not knowing much of what to do, Defne blew on the bird in an attempt to warm him up, but Defne could soon see this would not be enough. Defne could tell that they would not spend as much time with their tree as they planned. So, Defne told the tree a questionable “See you soon?” before turning around to their footsteps and following their footsteps back to the cabinet while the cardinal trembled on their back as the new duo plodded through the heavy snow.

At the cabin, Defne fetched some blankets and food that they thought might be suitable for a bird. In an additional attempt to energize the bird, Defne sang some Christmas tunes on that January afternoon. Thankfully, the cardinal eventually began to look more at ease, but Defne noticed that the small bird seemed to have some difficulties flying. It seemed this winter would not be spent in the solitude and air of memories like Defne hoped for.

For the first time in a long while, Defne now had a companion to spend time with in the little cabin, and Defne had a bit of difficulty not being in solace anymore. /// A few days after finding the bird, Defne woke to see the bird slightly flutter his wings, and, as if the bird felt some amazement with his action, he looked at Defne and tweeted at them. Seeing this, Defne smiled like a proud parent and felt a sense of hope. For the first time in ages, Defne felt a sense of excitement for the future and looked forward to the future more than they desired to reminisce of the past. The little cardinal still needed to heal, but Defne was looking forward to and making plans for the time they would spend with the little friend under the tree. Maybe the little bird under the tree brought more than companionship - maybe he brought some form of hope and fortune for the new year for Defne as well as a way to continue to an uncertain but potentially exciting future. (848 words)

[laika.]

Username + ID: ferrari 851720
Kalon Name: Ilya
Prompt:

There is no Christmas tree, or celebrations this year. The great war has ravaged the surrounding areas, and Ilya feels lucky that most of her family has managed to survive due to their nomadic lifestyle. Ilya was not expecting her mother to hand her a small box. The box is wrapped in last weeks' newspaper, declaring the continuation of the great war. As she slowly unfolds the wrapping, a small, worn, tan box appears. Inside the box, lay a bronze pocket watch in a bed of worn velvet. It's not a very large, or expensive watch at all. The watch's antique bronze casing has no embellishments, gemstones, or engravings. It's a little banged up from the years of hard use the watch has seen. The top of the watch face cover is bent in a little, from where it has been dropped long ago. The crystal face has scratches and a small chip in it, while the paper the roman numerals have been painted on is yellowed. It comes on a chain, with mismatch loops from all the times it has been broken and repaired.

Listening closely, after the watch gets wound, a slight whirring sound can be heard. The watch slowly ticks on, as the time around Ilya stops. This watch is a timekeeper, forged by her great grandfather, enchanted by her great grandmother, and given to her grandfather. It holds the ability to freeze the time around the holder, until the clock stops ticking. It has ensured many years of life for the timekeeper's family, decorated in the dust of the first war. The chip in the crystalline face, from when it saved her father from getting killed by a sword. The dent on it from when her grandfather dropped it as he ran to his wife, her grandmother, after he returned home. Some scratches have no story, as the holder was before Ilya's family. These dents and scratches are what Ilya and her sister made stories about, every time their father let them hold the watch. This watch has no value to those who see it on the street, yet to Ilya, this watch is the legacy of her family.

---- [ the pilot - Reijo (Ilya's grandfather) ] ----

In the ownership of Reijo, the watch was pristine. It was forged by his father and given to him a few months before the war broke out. His father was a talented blacksmith, and his mother a witch. The village folk were wary of the family, with his mother's innate abilities that kept proving themselves real, time and time again. When news of the war broke, his mother enchanted the watch to keep him safe. Reijo was never sure what that meant, until the village got attacked. He saw his family house get destroyed, with the only belongings he had the clothes on his back and the supplies in his schoolbag. Reijo wound the watch, as everything slowed to a stop around him. He heard a faint ticking noise and figured that was his countdown for how long he had before the watch would unfreeze. Reijo managed to make it out of the town, and up into the mountainsides before the ticking slowed. With each slowing of the ticks, the world shifted as the birds starting cawing and the breeze carried the smokey air from his home up into the mountains.

There was nothing left of the village, and nothing for Reijo to return to. He enlisted in the great war, knowing he had the watch as a failsafe. He wasn't sure how long his mother's magic would protect him, if it even would work a second time. He didn't know how many uses the watch would have or how long the watch would last if it was fully wound. Reijo became a pilot, ready to provide air support in the rickety planes sloppily manufactured for their side. It was there he met a medic, a beautiful medic by the name of Essi Niemi. Essi was kind, cautions, and ever so graceful in the face of adversity. He remembers the first time they met, as it was his duty to transport a group of brave medical personnel to the front lines. Reijo would write letters to Essi before and after every mission, and she would keep him updated about her health. In the darker times, they would write stories of their childhoods to each other. Reijo and Essi managed to make it through the worst of the war, and a truce had been drafted into effect, as the warring countries had both run out of supplies. Unsure of how long the truces would last, the country allowed the soldiers to return home with their equipment under the premise they would be ready to go the second the country beckoned them.

Essi had sent Reijo a letter, with her hometown. The letter stating when she would make it there, and on which train. Reijo immediately got confirmation that the plane he had flown would become his, until both it and he were needed to fight again. He flew through the night, waiting to see his dear Essi once again. He landed a few miles from the train station and ran all the way there in order to make it in time. He watched, as the train came to a halt, and his beautiful Essi stepped off onto the platform. He ran to her, the watch falling carelessly out of his pocket and smashing into the brick flooring on the station. After they embraced and as they were walking to her family's home, he saw the watch on the station platform. Reijo quickly picked it up and blew the dirt and grime off it. It was then he noticed that the face's cover was bent from the tumble.

---- [ the father - Otto (Ilya's father) ] ----

The truce had lasted twenty years, and at this point the warplanes had been covered in barns and the military camps abandoned. The civilians believed it was over, and that they could finally rest and rebuild their fallen towns. This was far from the truth, as the tensions between the two countries boiled over again. The war horns were sounded on the eve of Otto's nineteenth birthday. Reijo and Essi were far too old to server, but Reijo had been teaching Otto how to fly the plane stowed away in the barn. It was now Otto's duty to protect the village he calls home, and he fully intended to do so. He wasn't the best pilot, so he opted to being a medic and a soldier instead. The night before he left to go defend from the attacking neighboring country, his father pressed the watch in his hands. Reijo spoke of the power, and the creators of the watch. How the watch would keep him safe during the heat of the battle, and the many times it had saved Reijo in the past. Otto couldn't remember a time when his father didn't have the watch on him, and the meaning behind it was now made clear.

It was a brutal battle, as he was jumping from patient to patient. An enemy had crept up close to him, and Otto was unaware as the enemy launched towards him with a sword. Otto was too late to dodge, and he heard the sound of glass cracking, as the sword hit the pocket watch. The enemy's eyes went wide in surprise, as Otto quickly pulled the watch and wound it. Time slowed to a halt, as he opened the face to see the chip the soldier had given the watch. He sent a prayer to his grandmother, that her magic would still work even if the carrier had been damaged. His grandmother must have heard him, as the watch continued on with its soft ticking. He grabbed the patient he was working on and carried him to the tent. He went back out onto the battlefield and kept bringing the injured into the medical tent. It was of no matter their age, injury, or which side they fought on. Otto was a healer, and he refused to look the other way, even if the soldier was not on their side. War is a senseless violence, in his opinion, and the governments shouldn't send out hordes of people to go fight over land borders or resources. Otto watched as time returned to normal, and the wounded were removed from the battlefield.

It took years for another truce to be declared, and Otto kept his morals and continued to heal all those he came across. He found a strong, courageous woman who was attempting to defect from the opposing country. He took her in and sent her to his family's home in the village. It was there, that he returned and married her once the second truce was declared. This truce lasted for a much shorter time, and he left to go back to the battlefield. Sadly, he never made it back to his family and the watch was returned to them with a flag and a few of his other personal belongings. His wife, now the mother of two beautiful kits, took ownership of the watch until it was time for the watch to be passed down to Ilya.

[1544]

[CSMintCat]

Username + ID: CSMintCat | 720697
Kalon Name: Jorse
Prompt:

An old, faded Polaroid...

PSA; please do not give pets as gifts unless everyone involved has been consulted.